Creating Beautiful Smiles

Taking Measures to Avoid Chipped Teeth

Posted February 8, 2018.

Tooth enamel is made from a dense matrix of microscopic mineral crystals. This gives your teeth the ability to bite and break down food into small enough pieces to be safely swallowed. However, there are things that can potentially chip or fracture a tooth.

Curtailing certain bad habits can help reduce your chances of suffering damaged teeth. Chewing on foreign objects like pencils and pens can potentially chip a tooth. A similar threat is also posed by frequently chewing ice or biting your fingernails. At the same time, people who grind their teeth at night or who don’t wear a mouthguard when they play sports are also at risk of suffering a dental fracture.

If you do suffer a dental fracture, it’s important to have our dentist, Dr. Stephen Henry examine it as soon as possible. If the compromised area is small he might be able to repair the chipped tooth by installing a standard dental filling. A more significant dental fracture might require Dr. Stephen Henry to perform a dental crown restoration. This treatment process will eventually replace the entire tooth enamel layer with another dental material.

If you live in the Foster City, California, area and you recently suffered a chipped or fractured tooth, you should call 650-341-5656 to have it treated at Dr. Stephen Henry DDS.